Multi-position rail for a barrier

ABSTRACT

A rail is disclosed for use in forming a barrier system, such as a railing for a deck, porch, walkway or fence. The rail has a versatile configuration in that either a top or bottom side of the rail may be received in a rail cover. The rail may have side walls and a cross wall on the top or bottom side of the rail. A channel may be formed on the side of the rail opposite the cross wall. Upright members, such as pickets, planks, balusters, or walls may be received in either the top side or the bottom side of the rail, in the channel or through the cross wall. A cap having openings for receiving the upright member may be placed on the channel. The rail may be positioned on the top or bottom of the barrier system and the rail may be symmetrical to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/764,333, filed Jan. 23, 2004, entitled “MULTI-POSITION RAILFOR A BARRIER,” which claimed the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/473,535, filed May 26, 2003, which applicationsare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties,including but not limited to those portions that specifically appearhereinafter, the incorporation by reference being made with thefollowing exception: In the event that any portion of theabove-referenced applications is inconsistent with this application,this application supercedes said above-referenced applications.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to rails, and moreparticularly, but not exclusively, to rails that can be used in variouspositions and orientations as part of a barrier system.

2. Description of Related Art

Rails are known in the art for use in decks, porches, stairs, and fencesfor example. Such rails are useful in providing a secure barrier andadding to the aesthetic appearance of structures. Rails are commonlyused with upright members such as pickets, planks or balusters ofvarious sizes, configurations and spacing. Moreover, rails are oftenused as support members on the bottom of the barrier and towards the topof the barrier. The configuration of bottom rails is often differentthan the configuration of top rails. Thus, rails of multiple designs areoften required in a single barrier system.

Also, it is common to use a particular style of rail with differenttypes of upright members in different settings. Therefore, manufacturingand installation of barrier systems often requires the use of tools andmachinery to form the rails to the desired configuration to becompatible with the particular upright members to be used.

Rails made of durable materials often have a more attractive appearance,but may be more difficult to cut or otherwise shape into condition foruse with a particular upright member. Moreover, cutting of the rails toaccommodate the upright members may weaken the rails.

The use of a different design for top rails as compared to bottom railsmay increase the difficulty in providing proper inventory of barriercomponents. Also, the need to accommodate upright members of variousdifferent shapes and spacings may increase the amount of inventory ofcomponents required, and may also increase the difficulty and cost ofinstalling the barrier.

The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that areaddressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes,and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and otherproblems, by utilizing the methods and structural features describedherein.

The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure withoutundue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure maybe realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent froma consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective break-away view of a barrier system of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective break-away view of a rail in a first orientationwith a cover attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is a perspective break-away view of a rail in a secondorientation with a cover attached thereto;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a rail with a cap attached thereto;

FIG. 5 is a perspective break-away view of the rail of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective break-away view of an alternative barrier systemwith the rail of the present disclosure on the bottom, and analternative rail on the top;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rail in a first orientation with analternative embodiment cover attached thereto;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a rail in a second orientation with thealternative embodiment cover of FIG. 7 attached thereto;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rail in a first orientation with afurther alternative embodiment cover attached thereto;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a rail in a second orientation with thealternative embodiment cover of FIG. 9 attached thereto;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a rail in a first orientation with anadditional alternative embodiment cover attached thereto;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a rail in a second orientation with thealternative embodiment cover of FIG. 11 attached thereto;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a rail in a first orientation withanother alternative embodiment cover attached thereto;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a rail in a second orientation with thealternative embodiment cover of FIG. 13 attached thereto;

FIG. 15 is a perspective break-away view of another alternativeembodiment barrier system; and

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a rail, rail cover, and post.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles inaccordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to theembodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will beused to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that nolimitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Anyalterations and further modifications of the inventive featuresillustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles ofthe disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to oneskilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure,are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In describing and claiming the present disclosure, the followingterminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set outbelow.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,”“characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive oropen-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements ormethod steps.

“Interference fit” as used herein shall refer to the concept of aconnection between two members in which a portion of one member abutssome portion of the other member in a manner that contactibly blocks theseparation of the two members.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary perspective break-away view isshown of a barrier system of the present disclosure, indicated generallyat 10. The barrier system 10 may form a railing system for use withdecks, porches, stairs, or walkway, or a fence for use in defining aproperty boundary, for example.

The barrier system 10 may include one or more rails 12 configured to besupported in a laterally extending orientation. The rails 12 may bepositioned at an upper portion and at a lower portion of the barriersystem 10. Alternatively, it will also be appreciated that the barriersystem 10 may utilize a single rail 12.

The barrier system 10 may also include a boundary-defining barrier means14. The boundary-defining barrier means 14 may include upright memberssuch as pickets, planks, balusters, or walls for example, of any of avariety of shapes, sizes and styles, for defining a boundary. In theembodiment of FIG. 1, the boundary-defining barrier means 14 extendsbetween the rails 12 to form part of a barrier system 10. It will beunderstood that the boundary-defining barrier means 14 may include aplurality of upright members.

The barrier system 10 may also include a rail cover 16 for receiving arail 12. The rail cover 16 may be positioned on the top of the barriersystem 10 and may be shaped in various different styles andconfigurations to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Examplesof some of the various different styles of covers are depicted in FIGS.7-14, designated by reference numerals 16 a-16 d. The rail cover 16 mayalso be configured so as to provide a gripping surface such that therail cover 16 can be grasped to provide support to a person. Also, therail cover 16 may have an exterior appearance similar to a solid woodrail. The rail cover 16 may cover only a portion of the rail 12 suchthat part of the rail 12 may remain visible even when the rail cover 16is attached. Ends of the barrier system 10 may be supported by astructure or post 17, as shown in FIG. 16, for example. It will beappreciated that the certain embodiments of the barrier system 10 may beformed with the rail cover 16, whereas other embodiments of the barriersystem 10 may be formed without the rail cover 16.

Details of the rail 12 will now be explained with particular referenceto FIGS. 2-5. The rail 12 may include a first side wall 18 forming afirst side of the rail 12, and a second side wall 20 forming a secondside of the rail 12. The rail 12 may also have a cross wall 22 extendingbetween the first side wall 18 and the second side wall 20. As shown inFIG. 2, the cross wall 22 may extend between the first side wall 18 andthe second side wall 20 at a top side 24 of the rail 12. However, itwill be appreciated that the rail 12 may be oriented such that the crosswall 22 may be on a bottom side 28 of the rail 12.

The rail 12 may also have one or more brace members 28 extending betweenthe first side wall 18 and the second side wall 20. The brace member 28may be a continuous wall or it may be formed as a series of discretemembers positioned along the length of the rail 12 to help providestrength to the rail 12. The brace member 28 may be centrally locatedbetween the top side 24 and the bottom side 26 of the rail 12. However,it will be appreciated that the brace member 28 may be spaced at anydistance between the top side 24 and the bottom side 26, and that anynumber of brace members 28 may be used.

A chamber 30 may be defined by the first side wall 18, the second sidewall 20, the cross wall 22, and the brace member 28. Similarly, achannel 32 may be defined by the first side wall 18, the second sidewall 20, and the brace member 28. It will be appreciated that theboundary-defining barrier means 14 may be received in the chamber 30 orthe channel 32 as discussed more fully below.

The brace member 28 may have one or more ridges 34 for providing supportto the brace member 28, for contacting the boundary-defining barriermeans 14, or for locating and supporting brackets 35, as shown in FIG.16, for attaching the rail 12 to a post 17 or support structure, forexample. The brackets 35 may be formed in any manner known to thoseskilled in the art and may be attached to the rail 12 with screws or anyother variety of fasteners known in the art. The ridges 34 may extendalong a length of the brace member 28. The brace member 28 may alsoinclude grooves 36 for locating a center of the brace member 28 forreceiving the screws or drill bits for making openings for the screws.The grooves 36 may also extend along the length of the brace member 28.It will be understood that embodiments of the brace member 28 may beformed without the ridges 34 or grooves 36, or that the quantity, shapeand location of the ridges 34 and grooves 36 may vary within the scopeof the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, the rail 12 may be formed in a one-piece unitarymanner such that the cross wall 22 may be formed integrally with therail 12 so as to be inseparable from the first side wall 18 and thesecond side wall 20. Accordingly, no joints or seams may be formedbetween the cross wall 22 and the first side wall 18 and the second sidewall 20, or between the brace member 28 and the first side wall 18 andthe second side wall 20, in this embodiment. It will be appreciated thatother embodiments of the rail 12 may be constructed in separablecomponents within the scope of the present disclosure.

The rail 12 may also include means 38 for engaging with the rail cover16 to attach the rail 12 to the rail cover 16. The engaging means 38 maybe in the form of protrusions extending away from the rail 12. In oneembodiment, the first side wall 18 and the second side wall 20 may haveexterior planar portions 40 and the engaging means 38 may be formed asprotrusions that extend beyond the plane defined by the planar portions40. The engaging means 38 may be curved and may have a radius defining arounded configuration. However, it will be appreciated that the engagingmeans 38 may have various different shapes and configurations within thescope of the present disclosure. The engaging means 38 may be receivedin the rail cover 16 to form an interference fit to prevent the rail 12from being pulled out of the rail cover 16.

It will be appreciated that the first side wall 18 and the second sidewall 20 may have various different configurations, such as curved orangular shapes, and need not have the planar portions 40. The rail 12may be inserted into an end of the rail cover 16 such that the engagingmeans 38 may be received in receiving means 42 formed in the rail cover16. The receiving means 42 may be shaped to abut with the engaging means38 to hold the rail 12 in place with respect to the rail cover 16.However, the rail 12 may slide with respect to the rail cover 16 in adirection along a longitudinal axis 44 of the rail 12 to locate the rail12 in a desired position.

Alternatively, it will be appreciated that the rail 12 and/or rail cover16 may be formed with flexible elastic properties that allow the rail 12and/or rail cover 16 to deflect. The rail 12 can therefore be insertedinto the rail cover 16 along the length of the rail cover 16 rather thanat the end of the rail cover 16. The rail 12 and rail cover 16 may thusbe configured to be connected together with a snap fit.

The engaging means 38 may be formed on both the top side 24 and thebottom side 26 of the rail 12. Accordingly, as can be seen by inspectionof FIGS. 2 and 3, the rail 12 may be attached to the rail cover 16 suchthat the cross wall 22 may be positioned within the rail cover 16, asshown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the rail 12 may be rotated bysubstantially 180 degrees with respect to the rail cover 16, about thelongitudinal axis 44, such that the channel 32 may be positioned withinthe rail cover 16, as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the rail 12 maybe placed in a first orientation, as shown in FIG. 2, or the rail 12 maybe inverted to a second orientation as shown in FIG. 3.

Attachment of the barrier means 14 to the rail 12 will now be described.The barrier means 14 may be received within the channel 32 as shown inFIG. 1. The barrier means 14 may contact the brace member 28 at theridges 34 to be supported in an upward position. The first side wall 18and the second side wall 20 may support the barrier means 14 in alateral direction.

To further support the barrier means 14 in a lateral direction along thelength of the rail 12, a cap 46 may be placed over the channel 32 asshown in FIGS. 4-5. The cap 46 may have openings 48 for receiving thebarrier means 14. The openings 48 may be formed in the cap 46 by anymanner known in the art such as using a router, or punching, stamping orcutting for example. As such, the openings 48 may be placed in the cap46 during manufacturing of the cap 46, such that the openings 48 havepredetermined spacings, sizes and shapes. Alternatively, the openings 48may be formed in the cap 46 at the time of assembling the barrier system10, such that the spacing, size and shape of the openings 48 can becustom made. Placing the openings 48 in the cap 46 may provide anadvantage in that the openings 48 need not be formed in the rail 12.Forming openings in the rail 12 may weaken the rail 12 when the rail 12is formed of certain composite materials for example.

The cap 46 may be made of any suitable material known in the art such asvinyl, metal, or composite materials, for example. The cap 46 may haveattaching means 50 that may include a shaped portion of the cap 46configured for receiving the engaging means 38. Thus, the cap 46 may beattached to the rail 12 with an interference fit. The shape of theattaching means 50 may correspond to the shape of the engaging means 38on the rail 12 to provide an aesthetically pleasing and tight fittingconnection that may not create a protruding ledge that may be prone tosnagging or accumulating debris. It will be appreciated that otherattaching means such as fasteners or adhesives may also be used toattach the cap 46 to the rail 12 within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Similar to the rail cover 16, the cap 46 may be attached to the rail 12by sliding the cap 46 over an end of the rail 12, or by deflecting thecap 46 to snap the cap 46 onto the rail 12. The cap 46 may also includeledges,52 to facilitate aligning the cap 46 on the rail 12, and holdingthe cap 46 in position with respect to the rail 12. Moreover, the rail12 may include slots 54 for receiving an edge portion of the cap 46 sothat the connection between the cap 46 and the rail 12 may be moresecure and aesthetically pleasing.

With the cap 46 secured to the rail 12, the barrier means 14 may beplaced through the openings 48 such that the cap 46 may assist inproviding proper spacing and support for the barrier means 14. Theposition of the cap 46 may be moved with respect to the rail 12 so thatthe openings 48 can be positioned as desired and the orientation of thebarrier means 14 may be adjusted. Thus, assembly of the barrier systemmay be facilitated.

In an alternative orientation of the rail 12, as shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 8,10, 12, and 14, a portion of the barrier means 14 may be received withinthe chamber 30. Holes 56 may be formed in the cross wall 22 toaccommodate the barrier means 14, as best shown in FIG. 6. Similar tothe openings 48 in the cap 46, the holes 56 may be formed in any mannerknown in the art, either as the rail 12 is manufactured, or as thebarrier system 10 is assembled. Thus, the cross wall 22 may be used tosupport the barrier means 14 when the rail 12 is oriented with the crosswall 22 in contact with the barrier means 14. It will be understood thatin this orientation, the cap 46 may not be required.

Accordingly, the cross wall 22 and the cap 46 may collectively form asupporting means for (i) supporting a first boundary-defining barriermeans 14 in position with respect to the rail 12 when the rail 12 isdisposed in a first orientation, and (ii) supporting a secondboundary-defining barrier means 14 in position with respect to the rail12 when the rail 12 is disposed in a second orientation, wherein thesecond orientation is rotated about the longitudinal axis 44 bysubstantially 180 degrees from the first orientation.

It will be appreciated that the rail 12 may be configured to beversatile to be used in various positions and orientations in thebarrier system 10 within the scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 1, the rail 12 may be used as part of the toprail and the bottom rail within the barrier system 10. Moreover,embodiments of the rail 12 may be positioned in a central portion of thebarrier system 10. Various different shapes and styles of rail covers 16may be accommodated by the rail 12. An alternative embodiment barriersystem 10 a, is shown in FIG. 6, in which the rail 12 may be used foronly a bottom rail, and a different variety of rail, such as aconnection rail or U-rail 58, may be used for a top rail. Similarly, therail 12 may be used for only the top rail. Also, the rail 12 may beoriented such that the barrier means 14 may be received in the channel32, or in the chamber 30.

In one embodiment, the U-rail 58 may include recesses 60. The recesses60 may be configured to receive fasteners for attaching the U-rail 58 tothe barrier means 14. It will be understood that the barrier means 14may be substantially hollow and may have a central bore extending alonga length of the barrier means 14. The bore may be defined by interiorbrace structure and the bore may be used for receiving fasteners toattach the U-rail to the barrier means 14. Alternatively, the barriermeans 14 may be solid such that fasteners may be located as desired. Therecesses 60 may be located in the top of the U-rail 58 and/or the sidesof the U-rail. Accordingly, when a fastener is placed in the recess 60,the cover 16 may slide over the U-rail 58 without the fastenercontacting the cover 16 to interfere with the sliding movement betweenthe cover 16 and the U-rail 58. It will also be understood that recesses60 may be formed in the rail 12 in a similar manner.

The engaging means 38 may be configured, in one aspect of thedisclosure, to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The rail 12may be formed to be symmetrical, such that the external appearance ofthe rail 12 may be similar regardless of whether the rail 12 is orientedwith the channel 32 on the top, or the cross wall 22 on the top.

The components of the barrier system 10 may be formed of variousdifferent suitable materials within the scope of the present disclosure.For example, components of the barrier system 10 may be formed of a PVCmaterial, and/or a metal material. Also, the barrier system may beformed of a composite material made from materials such as a blend ofwood flour and PVC resin, for example, and the components may have anextruded PVC vinyl top coating. The components of the present disclosuremay also be formed of a composite of polypropylene or polyethylene andwood. Some embodiments may include inserts made of metal, such asaluminum, for added strength. Also, the barrier system components may bemade from a pultrusion process with fiber reinforced material made froma blend of fiberglass and PVC resin, for example, with an extrudedacrylic top coating, or any other suitable material known in the art mayalso be used to form the components of the barrier system 10.

As used herein, the term “pultrusion” refers to a process formanufacturing reinforced profiles wherein a set of fibers is pulledthrough a resin bath and then through a heated die giving the profileits shape. After the profile passes through the die the profile may becooled by air or water and cut into desired lengths. The resin used maybe of various materials such as polyesters, vinyl esters, and epoxiesfor example. Furthermore, various types of fibers may be added in thepultrusion process to produce profiles having different characteristics,such as different strengths, hardnesses, or elasticities. The fiber maybe either a fiber mat or a series of continuous fibers, or any othersuitable fiber reinforcement. The pultruded fiber reinforced materialmay provide components having high hardness and strength characteristicsand an attractive high quality appearance.

Reference will now to made to FIG. 15 to describe another alternativeembodiment barrier system, indicated generally at lob. As previouslydiscussed, the presently disclosed embodiments illustrated herein aremerely exemplary of the possible embodiments of the disclosure,including that illustrated in FIG. 15. It will be appreciated that thealternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15 contains many of the samestructures represented in FIGS. 1-14 and only the new or differentstructures will be explained to most succinctly explain the features ofthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15.

The alternative embodiment barrier system lob may include a rail 12 a.The rail 12 a may include a first side wall 18 a, a second side wall 20a, and a cross wall 22 a. The first side wall 18 a and the second sidewall 20 a may be characterized by an absence of protrusions. Moreover,the rail 12 a may not include openings in the cross wall 22 a, and therail 12 a may be utilized without a cap. A cover 16 e may be configuredto receive the rail 12 a, and the rail 12 a may be oriented in twopositions. For example, the rail 12 a may be oriented such that thecross wall 22 a is be on the top to form a top rail, or the rail 12 amay be oriented such that the cross wall 22 a is on the bottom to form abottom rail.

It will be appreciated that the structure and apparatus disclosed hereinis merely one example of a means for engaging (or engaging means), andit should be appreciated that any structure, apparatus or system forengaging which performs functions the same as, or equivalent to, thosedisclosed herein are intended to fall within the scope of a means forengaging, including those structures, apparatus or systems for engagingwhich are presently known, or which may become available in the future.Anything which functions the same as, or equivalently to, a means forengaging falls within the scope of this element.

Similarly, it will be appreciated that the structures and apparatusdisclosed herein are merely exemplary of a boundary-defining barriermeans, receiving means, supporting means, and attaching means, and itshould be appreciated that any structure, apparatus or system whichperforms functions the same as, or equivalent to, those disclosed hereinare intended to fall within the scope of a boundary-defining barriermeans, receiving means, supporting means, or attaching means, includingthose structures, apparatus or systems which are presently known, orwhich may become available in the future. Anything which functions thesame as, or equivalently to, a boundary-defining barrier means,receiving means, supporting means, and attaching means falls within thescope of these elements, respectively.

In accordance with the features and combinations described above, auseful method of forming barriers includes the steps of:

-   -   (a) providing a plurality of rails each having a longitudinal        axis, a channel on one side and a cross wall on an opposing        side;    -   (b) orienting one of the rails in a first orientation and        placing a first boundary-defining barrier means in the channel;    -   (c) orienting another of the rails in a second orientation        rotated substantially 180 degrees from the first orientation        about the longitudinal axis;    -   (d) forming at least one hole in the cross wall; and    -   (e) placing a second boundary-defining barrier means in the        hole.

Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate theadvantages provide by the features of the present disclosure. Forexample, it is a feature of the present disclosure to provide a rail andbarrier system that is simple in design and manufacture. Another featureof the present disclosure is to provide such a rail that is versatile tobe used in various orientations and positions within the barrier system,such that inventory of barrier system components may be reduced. It is afurther feature of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspectthereof, to provide such a rail that has an aesthetically pleasingappearance and which allows for assembly with or without cutting holesin the rail.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the presentdisclosure are grouped together in single embodiments for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of the foregoing disclosed embodiments. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description by thisreference, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodimentof the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentdisclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intendedto cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the presentdisclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above withparticularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to,variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner ofoperation, assembly and use may be made without departing from theprinciples and concepts set forth herein.

1. A rail for use in forming at least part of a barrier system, said rail comprising: a first side wall forming a first side of said rail; a second side wall forming a second side of said rail; a top side; a bottom side; a cross wall formed at one of said top side and said bottom side; and means for engaging with a cover to attach said rail to said cover in a first orientation in which said cover is disposed on said top side, and a second orientation in which said cover is disposed on said bottom side.
 2. The rail of claim 1, wherein said means for engaging are located toward both said top side and said bottom side.
 3. The rail of claim 1, wherein said means for engaging are located on both said first side and said second side.
 4. The rail of claim 1, wherein said first side wall and said second side wall each define a planar portion.
 5. The rail of claim 4, wherein said means for engaging are configured as protrusions extending away from said rail beyond said planar portions to attach said cover with an interference fit.
 6. The rail of claim 1, wherein said means for engaging form a curved surface.
 7. The rail of claim 6, wherein said means for engaging form a radiused surface defining a rounded configuration.
 8. The rail of claim 1, wherein said rail further comprises a brace member extending between said first side wall and said second side wall.
 9. The rail of claim 8, wherein said rail defines a chamber between said first side wall, said second side wall, said brace member and said cross wall.
 10. The rail of claim 8, wherein said brace member comprises at least one ridge.
 11. The rail of claim 1, wherein said rail defines a channel between said first side wall and said second side wall.
 12. The rail of claim 11, wherein said channel is disposed on said rail on another of said top side and said bottom side opposite said cross wall.
 13. The rail of claim 1, wherein said first side wall and said second side wall are symmetrical.
 14. The rail of claim 1, further comprising a slot for receiving a portion of a rail cap. 15-30. (canceled)
 31. A rail for use in forming at least part of a barrier system, said rail comprising: a first side wall forming a first side of said rail; a second side wall forming a second side of said rail; a top side; a bottom side; a cross wall integrally formed on said rail at one of said top side and said bottom side; a brace member extending between said first side wall and said second side wall; and a protrusion on at least one of said first side wall and said second side wall, said protrusion extending away from said at least one of said first side wall and said second side wall and configured for forming an interference fit with a cover and a cap.
 32. The rail of claim 31, wherein said protrusion forms a curved surface.
 33. The rail of claim 31, wherein said rail defines a chamber between said first side wall, said second side wall, said brace member and said cross wall.
 34. The rail of claim 31, wherein said rail defines a channel between said first side wall and said second side wall.
 35. The rail of claim 31, wherein said first side wall and said second side wall are symmetrical.
 36. A rail for use in forming at least part of a barrier system, said rail comprising: a first side wall forming a first side of said rail; a second side wall forming a second side of said rail; a top side; a bottom side; a cross wall integrally formed on said rail at one of said top side and said bottom side, said cross wall having at least one hole for receiving a boundary-defining barrier means therethrough; and a brace member extending between said first side wall and said second side wall.
 37. The rail of claim 36, further comprising means for engaging with a cover to attach said rail to said cover in a first orientation in which said cover is disposed on said top side, and a second orientation in which said cover is disposed on said bottom side.
 38. The rail of claim 37, wherein said means for engaging are located on both said first side of said rail and said second side of said rail.
 39. The rail of claim 37, wherein said means for engaging are located on both said top side of said rail and said bottom side of said rail.
 40. The rail of claim 37, wherein said means for engaging are configured as protrusions extending away from said rail to attach said cover with an interference fit.
 41. The rail of claim 36, wherein said rail defines a chamber between said first side wall, said second side wall, said brace member and said cross wall.
 42. The rail of claim 36, wherein said rail defines a channel between said first side wall and said second side wall.
 43. The rail of claim 36, wherein said brace member comprises at least one ridge.
 44. The rail of claim 36, wherein said brace member comprises a groove for receiving a fastener or drill bit. 45-83. (canceled)
 84. A rail for use in forming at least part of a barrier system, said rail comprising: a first side wall forming a first side of said rail; a second side wall forming a second side of said rail; a top side; a bottom side; a cross wall formed at one of said top side and said bottom side; and means for engaging with a cover to attach said rail to said cover; wherein said engaging means are located at both said top side and said bottom side such that said rail is configured to be attached to said cover in a first orientation in which said cover is disposed on said top side, and a second orientation in which said cover is disposed on said bottom side; wherein said means for engaging are located on both said first side and said second side; wherein said first side wall and said second side wall each define a planar portion; wherein said means for engaging are configured as protrusions extending away from said rail beyond said planar portions to attach said cover with an interference fit; wherein said means for engaging form a curved surface; wherein said means for engaging form a radiused surface defining a rounded configuration; wherein said rail further comprises a brace member extending between said first side wall and said second side wall; wherein said brace member is a continuous wall centrally located between the top side of the rail and the bottom side of the rail; wherein the brace member comprises a groove for positioning a fastener; wherein said brace member comprises at least one ridge for locating and supporting a bracket; wherein said rail defines a chamber between said first side wall, said second side wall, said brace member and said cross wall; wherein said rail defines a channel between said first side wall and said second side wall; wherein said channel is disposed on said rail on another of said top side and said bottom side opposite said cross wall; wherein said first side wall and said second side wall are symmetrical; wherein said first side wall and said second side wall comprise a slot for receiving a portion of a rail cap. 85-101. (canceled) 